Batting

Chicago – Drew Dosch drove in three runs, including the go-ahead score in the top of the ninth, to lift the Youngstown State baseball team to an 8-7 win in game one of a doubleheader at UIC on Saturday. The Penguins lost game two 4-1 in their first Horizon League series.

YSU scored twice in the first after the first two batters were retired in the opener. Dosch started the action with a single, his first of three hits in the contest, and he scored one batter later when the Flames made two errors on the same play. Marcus Heath then came in on David Saluga's single. Heath singled to start the fourth, moved to third on Saluga's double and scored on Phil Lipari's sacrifice fly to put the Penguins up 3-0.

The Flames knotted the score at three in the bottom of the fourth with runs on an RBI single, a double steal and a dropped fly ball. UIC then took its first lead with an unearned run in the fifth, and the Flames tacked on two more runs in the sixth on back-to-back sacrifice flies.

Dosch tripled in two runs and scored on Heath's sacrifice fly in the seventh as YSU tied the score at 6-6, and Dosch drove in the go-ahead run with one out in the ninth. Jason Shirley reached on an error to start the ninth, and he went to second on Neil Schroth's one-out single. Dosch followed with a single that brought in Shirley and moved Schroth to third, and Saluga drove in Schroth with a sacrifice fly.

UIC put runners at second and third with one out in the ninth, but closer Nic Manuppelli limited the damage to one run by inducing back-to-back groundouts.

Dosch was 3-for-4 with a walk in the opener, and Saluga had two hits for YSU, which outhit the Flames 10-8. Joe Betcher had three hits in the eighth spot in the lineup for UIC.

YSU starter Blake Aquadro was charged with six runs, four of which were earned, in five innings in a no decision. Lance Horner did not allow a run in 2.1 innings, and Alex Frey came on to record the final two outs of the eighth to earn his first win. Manuppelli registered his third save. Ian Lewandowski was charged with the loss for UIC despite not allowing an earned run.

Neither team scored in the first five innings of the second game, but both squads scored in the sixth. Schroth doubled to start the sixth and moved to third when Dosch singled to left. UIC starter Jack Andersen limited the damage when he got Heath to ground into a double play that brought in Schroth but cleared the bases. A sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth allowed UIC to tie the score at 1-1.

The Flames left the bases loaded in the seventh, and YSU stranded two runners in the eighth as the score remained tied. UIC, though, scored three times in the bottom of the eighth with the help of an error to go up 4-1. Josh North retired Alex Grunenwald on a grounder to short to start the inning, but Lipari had an error in the next at bat as Alex Jurich reached. A single and back-to-back walks followed as UIC took a 2-1 lead, and the Flames' other two runs came on an RBI single by Ryan Shober and a wild pitch.

Lewandowski retired the Penguins in order in the ninth for his second save of the season.

YSU starter Patrick O'Brien allowed just one run on seven hits in seven innings in a no decision. Andersen's line was very similar with a run on seven hits in eight innings in a winning effort for UIC.

The Penguins and Flames will conclude their three-game series on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Eastern.